Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hot News from Rome Regarding Anglicans

While somewhat off-topic for this blog, the following announcement from the Vatican is interesting on several levels. Firstly, the method and protocols for admission of the 'former' Anglicans (clergy and laity); Secondly, the consideration of several doctrinal and possibly ecclesiological differences between Anglican overall and the Church of Rome. It will also be interesting to consider this situation in comparison and contrast with the history of "uniatism".

NOTE ON ANGLICANS WISHING TO ENTER THE CATHOLIC CHURCH


VATICAN CITY, 20 OCT 2009 (VIS) - In a meeting with journalists held this morning in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia O.P., secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented a note on a new measure concerning "Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church".

Commenting on the English-language note, which has been published by his dicastery, Cardinal Levada explained how, "with the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.

"In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.

"The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a worldwide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony".

"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans" who, said Cardinal Levada, "have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".

The cardinal further indicated that "it is the hope of the Holy Father Benedict XVI that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: 'There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism'.

"Our communion", the cardinal added in conclusion, "is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith".

In a joint declaration on the same subject, Catholic Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury affirm that the announcement of the Apostolic Constitution "brings to an end a period of uncertainty for such groups who have nurtured hopes of new ways of embracing unity with the Catholic Church. It will now be up to those who have made requests to the Holy See to respond to the Apostolic Constitution", which is a "consequence of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

"The on-going official dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion provides the basis for our continuing co-operation", the declaration adds. "The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) agreements make clear the path we will follow together.

"With God's grace and prayer we are determined that our on-going mutual commitment and consultation on these and other matters should continue to be strengthened. Locally, in the spirit of IARCCUM, we look forward to building on the pattern of shared meetings between the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and the Church of England's House of Bishops with a focus on our common mission".
CDF/ANGLICANS CATHOLICS/LEVADA VIS 091020 (820)

4 comments:

Amy said...

That is a bold move but beware of the Catholic Church. I used to be Catholic but then I stopped practicing after I found out some disturbing truth. Some say the papacy is the antichrist. They changed the ten commandments which is the Law of God, the Pope claims to be a god, they have killed innocent people for centuries like the Spanish Inquisition and supporting the Nazis, and the priests have molested a lot of children. Jesus would not approve of any of these, it is not Christian, that is evil hiding behind religion. I pray people really to open their eyes. I know I did!!!

The Byzantine Rambler said...

Dear Sister Amy:

"Some say" is the preface to the opinion of people who have not proof or validity to what they say but only wish to pass on prejudice and hatred. The numbering of the Ten Commandments (which part is the break between Commandment "one" and two", etc.) is really a minor issue. The Spanish Inquisition was the action of the Spanish Royal Government, not the Church - check out How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization (see Amazon). And the false charges against the Church in regard to Nazism is refuted by the fact that Pope Pius XII was proclaimed a hero of the Jewish State of Israel after the War. Lies against the Church have been spread for millennia. Close your eyes and pray for humility and to be open to truth. The Truth of the Church rises above any sinful individual, be it a Pope or a pauper. Keep reading and be open to all sides, not just the politically accepted views of recent years.

Thanking you for your contribution, and humbly asking your prayers for your sinful servant,

The Byzantine Rambler

George Patsourakos said...

There are many questions that the Vatican needs to answer before it allows Anglicans to join the Catholic Church.

Will Anglican priests continue to be able to be married, while Catholic priests must remain celibate?

Will Anglican woman priests and bishops allowed to become Catholic priests and bishops?

Will openly gay Anglican priests and bishops be allowed to preach in the Catholic Church?

Will the Catholic Church allow same-sex marriages, since the Anglican Church allows them?

Will Anglican clergy still be able to idolize John Calvin -- the theologian who renounced Catholicism and converted to Protestantism -- while the Catholic Church considers Calvin to be a heretic?

These are some of the many questions that the Vatican needs to answer before it allows Anglicans to become Catholics by "bending the rules."

In any event, I believe that the Vatican's decision to ease the rules for Anglicans to become Catholic was a bad decision that can only lead to disaster for the Catholic Church.

I see this decision as one that will cause Catholicism to decay, because it indicates very clearly that the Catholic Church is more interested in increasing its membership than it is in the teachings of Christ!

Daniel Pane said...

Dear Georgius this Anglican need to sign the Catechism of the Catholic Church before entering the communion with the Church of Rome. So they are required to believe all teaching that the Church had believed and taught. So they can't have women priests, same sex marriage and idolize the teaching of Calvin etc

Mandatory celibacy is a discipline proper to the Latin Church, meanwhile in the East the rule is different. This Anglican undoubtely will follow the Eastern rule concerning Priesthood celibaxy.

So it's not true that Catholic Church more interested in increasing her member than faithfulness to Christ's teaching.

However you should know that Catholicism is not synonymous with Latinism.

 
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